Food Network Settles Suit over 'Private Chefs'

The Food Network has settled a dispute brought by a Beverly Hills-based chef placement service that sued the network over trademark and breach of contract for airing a reality show entitled Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.

The lawsuit was filed in August by Private Chefs, Inc., which claimed to have pitched a similar show about celebrity cooking in 2002. The company claimed money and credit due over Food Network's program, which has just entered its second season.

Earlier this month, a judge denied the plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction that would have stopped the show from airing. The decision cited a failure by Private Chefs "to show a likelihood of success on the merits or irreparable harm."

The case could have continued anyway, but the parties have decided to put away their knives. Terms of the settlement haven't been disclosed.